How I did my first run
In late January this year, I decided to join a running event. It was after one afternoon, while stuck in heavy traffic, a colleague remarked that she thinks of joining a running event because it looks fun with all the after event freebies. I then responded that I would also like to join for the finisher shirt. The next day, we searched and immediately found an event that will happen in a little more than one month. I also invited some officemates who I know frequent running events. We then registered for the half-marathon because it’s the only category that will be giving away finisher shirts.
To help me prepare, I googled “how to prepare for a half-marathon for beginners” a lot of times. Needless to say, four weeks is not enough. I ended up creating a five-week training plan patterned after the last four weeks of a regular 12-week plan. The plan included multiple short evening runs during weekdays, and one long run during weekends. Long runs were to be done with run/walk intervals.
I was only able to keep up with the weekday plan for the first two weeks as I flew out for business on the third week; I thought of running after office hours, but I was just unusually exhausted that week. In the last two weeks, I only did weekend long runs.
Long runs progressed each week starting — from 10k, 12k, 16k, and finally, a week before the race, to 20k. I remember dragging myself to the airport after our second long run, I was feverish and my legs were really hurting. It is said that one should start tapering a few weeks before the run — I dismissed this idea as I would like to increase my certainty that my body can actually run a half-marathon, not to mention I only got a few weeks to prepare. I know that I’m risking myself of getting an injury, but I don’t want to get surprised during race day. I also tried consuming an energy gel during the last long run.
The week before the race, I was really hungry. I ate and drank a lot, forgetting my usual portion control. Just five days before the race, I caught myself at a drinking party, and needless to say, I drank too much. For the next three days, my head was throbbing and I had difficulty moving around, but I was still able to do some cross training the day before the race.
The race starts at 4:00 AM, but the call time was 3:00 AM. I woke up around 1:30 AM, took a warm shower, and ate some oatmeal. I met with my friends, who will also run, from 2:00 AM and took Uber. We arrived at the race venue just before 3:00 AM. I was sleepy because I was not able to sleep well — probably because I’m anxious but at the same time excited. I then left my fate to two packs of salted caramel flavored energy gels and two small bottles of water tied around my waist.
The race started exactly on time. Only a few seconds after gun start, I found myself alone. Everyone was running in different directions, it was easy to get lost, and my friends started running their own pace. Everything felt more difficult and the route seemed farther as compared with our training. My body felt unusually heavy, and the race shirt was really uncomfortable — I expended one bottle of precious water to drench myself and lessen friction. I was only on my fifth kilometer when I decided to consume my first pack of energy gel. Instead of doing run/walk intervals, I ran continuously and did not stop at any water station. I actually thought of walking, a lot of times, but was always able to convince myself not to. Seeing the finish line, even from afar, made me run faster, but I must admit that being surprised with another turn just when I thought I’m finished was really frustrating. I reached the finish line in 2 hours and 17 minutes.
This narrative is a product of hindsight; obviously, there are better ways on how to prepare for a race. I would like to join a full-marathon this year, but to be honest, I still cannot imagine how I will do it. At the very least, I would like to believe that the only difference between a half and full marathons is the mindset.
